Designer Babies Get Panel's Thumbs Up (<em>MIT Tech Review</em>)

National Academy of Sciences okays genetic engineering for prevention

Twenty-two scientists from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) gave a greenlight to genetic engineering of human embryos to avoid serious disease. The decision comes after a year of research and deliberation captured in a 216-page document, reported MIT Technology Review.

The scientists filled their report with technical caveats, and a call for rigorous oversight. They emphasized a clear distinction between disease prevention and enhancements, such as intelligence.

"They show a narrow but clear path to future clinical use," Tetsuya Ishii, a bioethicist at Hokkaido University in Japan, told MIT Technology Review.

There will be time for further deliberation on the often polarizing issue before the technology matures. Even so, the NAS has planted its flag in the genetic engineering policy frontier.

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